The present invention relates to glove compartments supplied in the instrument panels of automobiles. It is the practice in the design of the interiors of automobiles to provide the storage compartment, or glove compartment, in the automobile's instrument panel on the side of the instrument panel opposite the driver's position. The introduction of inflatable restraints or air bags to the interior design of automobiles has brought new design constraints to the task of packaging a glove compartment of suitable size in the passenger position. It is often desirable to position the air bag assembly at or near the upper surface of the instrument panel. Merely shifting the position of a conventional glove compartment below the air bag assembly may interfere with the leg room afforded a seated passenger in the passenger seating position. In conventional glove compartment design, a door is provided which is hinged along a lower surface for pivotal movement outwardly into the passenger compartment for providing access to the interior of the compartment. This pivotal movement in a conventionally sized glove compartment door may result in interference with passenger leg room when in the open position. Reducing the size of the door, of course, reduces access to the interior of the compartment and effectively reduces its useful size.
One possible way of overcoming this design restraint is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,837 to Shimizu et al., which provides a glove compartment closed by a pair of doors, one hinged on an upper surface of the instrument panel and one hinged on a lower. Such an approach has a number of disadvantages that make it inappropriate for use in an automobile equipped with a passenger side air bag. One is that the upper door opens vertically upward creating the possibility of interference with the opening of an air bag positioned in this location. Another is that the lower door opens horizontally outward in the form of a desk to intrude into usable space for the seated passenger. Yet another is that the two doors must be opened independently between fully close and fully opened positions, making the use of such a design inconvenient.